What resort do you think is best for a Family and Friends trip?

[LovesTimone]

DH and I are planning to go to Disney for Christmas 2013, we are actual thinking the weeks some where at the end of the year, but will be there on Christmas Day this is a must. Some of our friends and family are saying they want to go to.. So the more the merrier..

So OF course I am in charge of planning, which I love so no worries....
Here a list of the players...

DH and I
DD and her DH - (this will be their honeymoon which they can not afford right now - DH and I will be paying for part of this - which will be their Christams present)
BFF and her DH and grandson
My Cousin and his wife -( his 1st trip since he was a kid and her's also)
DBIL and nephew - ( for only 1 night or maybe just Christmas Day)
My Parents- ( for just Christmas Day or one night)
Friends with special needs DD( she is 30)

We prefer Mod's or up - Cost will needed to be taken into consideration.
Would not rule out Family suite.

Must have an elevator,

Who do you think has the best food court.?

Not everyone will stay the whole week, only what they can afford to do. Most families 3 or 4 nights.

I know that we all can't be in a row, nor do I think that's a good idea, but we all would like to be at the same resort.

 

[larryz]

If you insist that MK must be part of the Christmas Day experience, I'd recommend the CR tower. I believe it has all you're looking for... Better hurry.

 

[akl-fan]

I would go with WL the cost will be between that of a MOD and a monorail resort and it has arguably the best Christmas decorations. It is also only a short boat ride to the MK.
You could rent a room from a DVC member if you want a 2 bed villa at VWL, this would save a fortune on the rack rate. I have never used them but David's rentals seem to have a good reputation on these boards. The others could get regular rooms for there stays. That way you would all be roughly in the same location but not on top of each other.
If you do decide to rent point then you need to plan asap as DVC villas book up for Christmas at 11 months and WL is very popular for the holidays.
Have fun planning -whatever you decide it will be fabulous.

 

[bcrook]

I have no idea on your budget limits, but we had a group about the size of yours last summer and we all found places around the boardwalk. We had a wonderful time wandering in and out of Epcot and DHS. Sometimes we walked other times we took the boat. The boardwalk is awesome all by itself.

There are plenty of reasonably priced food options all around the boardwalk including the swan and dolphin.

You could rent DVC points here too. I think the Boardwalk Villas are more fun than the Beach Club (at least in December - in the summer Storm a long bay makes me rethink that).

As for food courts...hmmm, there really aren't any except at the swan dolphin. But with Epcot a short walk away, there is lots of food there.

Of course this means you need park hoppers to fully enjoy this.

 

[DCbride]

Christmas is so expensive- have you checked rack rates? We stayed at the Beach Club and AKL off season but know that we could never pay Christmas prices at either resort. (even Easter we have had to stay off site the past 2 years) I usually plan our family/friends trips and try to take everyone's budget into account.

We really liked renting points when we go with others so we have a livingroom. Then the couples coming for the day or few days can just get a regular hotel room. If you are paying for DD and DH they could their own room and you could share the villa with your BFF.

If you are planning lots of park time, stick with a moderate and don't waste your money with the deluxes. We love CSR. As far as deluxe, you really can't go wrong ...just depends on what park you want to get to quickly.

Good luck planning!

 

[LovesTimone]

I have been looking at the rates and talking to everyone. As of this moment the group like's AK, WL and POFQ or POR.

Christmas is so costly, I really am going to have to run the $$$ to see where we are going to be. I want to be mindful of everyone budget!! Everyone really wants to be there on Christmas Day. Which I have warned everyone it was be costly so we will see.

I did not put into to mix of renting DVC points, I will have to look into that. I am a bit nervous about that, Do you know if you get all the perks that the owner's get? can DDP be added in? Park Tickets? Mousekeeping service included daily? lots of question for this option.

Also My DH said we could do a split stay, maybe do a mod for when family and friends are with us, then maybe do a deluxe for just the 2 of us. But then is it worth moving resorts? Time spent moving? and How does that work with tickets, DDP's... So lots of input needed....

 

[bcrook]

I have been looking at the rates and talking to everyone. As of this moment the group like's AK, WL and POFQ or POR.

Christmas is so costly, I really am going to have to run the $$$ to see where we are going to be. I want to be mindful of everyone budget!! Everyone really wants to be there on Christmas Day. Which I have warned everyone it was be costly so we will see.

I did not put into to mix of renting DVC points, I will have to look into that. I am a bit nervous about that, Do you know if you get all the perks that the owner's get? can DDP be added in? Park Tickets? Mousekeeping service included daily? lots of question for this option.

Also My DH said we could do a split stay, maybe do a mod for when family and friends are with us, then maybe do a deluxe for just the 2 of us. But then is it worth moving resorts? Time spent moving? and How does that work with tickets, DDP's... So lots of input needed....

First of all, if you can swing a a two bedroom villa at a DVC resort, the extra gathering space is nice. The Kidani units sleep 9 people and have three bathrooms. The balconies are large and provide more space for conversation.

If you rent points, you won't have daily mouse keeping unless you pay extra for it. There are several reliable places to use in renting. You can search the DVC boards. You can purchase the DDP (but you could save a fortune by skipping it!).

As for split stays: we have done this every trip. We have no problems. We send our luggage over to the new resort through Bell Services, and we either go to breakfast or hit a park. Then go back to our new resort later to officially check in. I don't know how it works for dining plan though.